The Eiffel Tower is one of the world’s most iconic landmarks—but here’s the twist: it wasn’t meant to last. When Gustave Eiffel’s iron colossus was unveiled for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, critics mocked it as a “metal asparagus,” and the city had a plan to dismantle it after just 20 years.
Gordy dives into the surprising story of how a structure once despised by Parisians became a permanent symbol of France. From protest letters by artists and writers, to Eiffel’s secret scientific experiments in his private apartment at the top, to the unexpected role of radio technology and World War I, the tower’s survival was never guaranteed. Add in Adolf Hitler’s failed plans to destroy it during World War II, and the Eiffel Tower’s history reads like a thriller.
Today, this “temporary” tower is the most-visited paid monument on Earth, repainted every seven years with 60 tons of paint, standing as both a cultural icon and an engineering marvel. But the story of how it survived is stranger—and more fascinating—than you might think.
👉 Stay tuned through the end for Eiffel’s hidden apartment and the colorful painting history of the tower.
Sources
Lemoine, B. (1999). Gustave Eiffel: Le magicien du fer.
Jonnes, J. (2009). Eiffel’s Tower. Penguin Books.
Guinness World Records. (n.d.). Most-visited paid monument.
Curl, J. S. (Ed.). (2009). The Oxford Companion to Architecture. Oxford University Press.
Smithsonian Magazine. (2019). How the Eiffel Tower Was Nearly Torn Down.
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